Superstars should do content-based cinema: Brijendra Kala

Actor Brijendra Kala, known for his comic roles in 'PK' and 'Jab We Met', feels top stars in Bollywood should try their hands at content-based films so that the divide between mainstream and off-beat cinema decreases.
Brijendra said a lot of character-actors like him do script-driven movies, which go unnoticed due to lack of star presence. He thinks the audience will become more receptive to such films if popular actors start doing them.
"I feel the top stars of the industry should do off-beat films. Why don't they try a 'Paan Singh Tomar'? Cinema will improve if the superstars do even one such film out of the 10 commercial movies they usually star in.

"Big production houses should make such cinema with stars. This way the audience will become more receptive to off-beat movies. These stars will also get to know about this kind of cinema," Brijendra told PTI during a visit here.
Praising superstar Aamir Khan, Brijendra said he is one such actor, who balances his career with a good mix of commercial and substance cinema.
"Aamir is that one superstar, who keeps doing films with diverse subjects. He is a different star altogether. He keeps breaking his own records," he said.

Brijendra said he has enjoyed being a part of critically-acclaimed movies like 'Ankhon Dekhi' and 'Paan Singh Tomar' more than the big-budget films.

"It feels nice that people remember characters-actors like us even in the small roles that we do in big, commerical films. These films surely give us a lot of visibility.
"But as an artist the high I get by doing meaty characters in movies with good stories is something else. I enjoy doing small films more," Brijendra said.
One such film is his upcoming satire on Godmen, 'Chal Guru Ho Ja Shuru', which also stars Hemant Pandey and Tiku Talsania.
"It is a wonderful film and I had an amazing time shooting it. I play Hemant Pandey's partner in crime in the movie. I guide him about everything he needs to do as a Godman. It is a fun character. These are the kind of films I enjoy doing," he said.

Brijendra said though their number is less, films with character-artistes in lead roles are being made, which makes him feel positive about future of actors like him.
"Definition of a hero has changed in Bollywood today. Actors are singing, making music while singers are turning to acting. Character-actors are also getting lead roles.
"A big example of it is 'Aankhon Dekhi', which had Sanjay Mishra playing the protagonist. So things are changing, though slowly," he said.
'Chal Guru Ho Ja Shuru', directed by Manoj Sharma and produced by Pankaj Narayan and Apoorva Bajaj, releases on January 30.